Cherryville police crack down on vehicle break-ins

JENNA-LEY HARRISON
Staff Writer

Cherryville police have made multiple arrests this month in connection with two separate cases involving vehicular break-ins.
On Friday, three suspects, including two Lincolnton residents, were placed behind Gaston County bars for allegedly taking items from two vehicles that were parked on N.C. 150 in Cherryville.
Chad Edwin Abernathy, 37, of Lake Silvia Road in Lincolnton, along with Stacey Elizabeth Lingerfelt, 27, of Meandering Lane in Lincolnton, and Ryan Derek Hudson, 36, of Dale Drive in Cherryville, have all been accused of stealing nearly $4,000 worth of items from the vehicles, Cherryville Police Lt. Mike Allred, Sr., said.
Each individual faces two counts each of felony breaking and entering along with larceny from a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon. Authorities said they added the additional felony firearm charge after seizing the stolen weapon from the suspectsâ€™ Nissan, which belonged to Lingerfelt.
Allred noted that all stolen items have been recovered and returned to the owners.
Abernathy, whoâ€™s currently being held under a $60,563 secured bond, was also served outstanding warrants from agencies in Lincoln and Cleveland Counties.
The warrants are for felony obtaining property by false pretenses along with misdemeanor charges for failure to comply and injury to real property, according to the Gaston County jail site.
Both Lingerfelt and Hudson were booked under $50,000 secured bonds.
The jail site additionally revealed that Gaston County authorities have apprehended both Hudson and Abernathy on more than one previous occasion.
Between 2007 and 2010, Hudson was arrested at least seven times for offenses that included shoplifting and various instances of assault on a female and failure to appear. Heâ€™s also been convicted of various felony drug charges in Gaston County, according to the North Carolina Department of Correction website.
In addition, Abernathy was charged in Gaston County with second-degree burglary and felony larceny between 2008 and 2009. Since 1995, heâ€™s been collecting felony convictions in Cleveland, Lincoln and Gaston Counties for multiple instances of larceny along with breaking and entering vehicles and speeding to elude arrest, an offense for which he was sentenced to at least 21 months behind bars, NC DOC records showed.
Lingerfelt is additionally listed on NC DOC for various financial felonies in Lincoln and Gaston Counties. Convictions include multiple counts of credit card fraud along with obtaining property by false pretenses, forgery and identity theft, a crime for which she spent more than a year and a half in prison and was released in 2007, according to NC DOC.
Cherryville Police have also apprehended a third suspect and are continuing to search for a fourth person connected to a string of vehicular break-ins and vandalism on Newman Coves Road earlier this month.
Austen â€œA.J.â€ Jerome Link, 25, of Scott Street in Cherryville, was placed under a $20,000 secured bond Monday and charged with two felony counts of breaking and entering, one felony count of larceny from a motor vehicle and five misdemeanor counts of injury to real property.
Both Drew Jacob Knowles, 18, of Hephzibah Church Road in Crouse, and Hali Brooke Faulkenbury, 19, of Joyce Drive in Cherryville, were arrested last week in connection with the incidents and face similar charges.
Authorities are still on the hunt for Alvin â€œB.J.â€ Hunter.
All four individuals have been accused of breaking into various vehicles and stealing items. They additionally produced $10,000 worth of damage by shooting paintballs and spray painting gang signs and other graffiti on homes and buildings in the Cherryville area, including one city property, police said.
Faulkenbury has since been released from custody while Knowles and Link remain behind bars.
Sgt. Frank Dellinger is heading an ongoing investigation into the vandalism and break-ins, police said. Authorities ask that anyone with details on Hunterâ€™s whereabouts contact the Cherryville Police Department at (704) 435-1717.